HomeCANADA • Jordan WABASSE, 15 (deceased) ~ Thunder Bay ON
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CANADA • Jordan WABASSE, 15 (deceased) ~ Thunder Bay ON
by karma Fri Feb 11, 2011 3:07 am
Missing teen - Jordan Wabasse
February 10, 2011
Police are asking for the public's help in locating a missing teen.
Officials with the Thunder Bay Police Service say 15- year old Jordan Wabasse has not been heard from since Monday.
He is described as standing about six-feet and one-inch tall, and weighing about 200 pounds. He has black hair.
Police say Jordan may be in the area around Victoriaville, but has also been known to frequent the south downtown core.
Anyone with information on the whereabouts of 15-year-old Jordan Wabasse is asked to contact the Thunder Bay Police (807) 684-1200.
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Search Efforts Expanding For Jordan Wabasse
February 11, 2011
Jordan Wabasse - missing 15-year-old
THUNDER BAY – The power of the Internet, social networking, friends and family all are working together to find Jordan Wabasse a missing 15-year-old. The teenager, who is 6’1″ tall, and has dark hair was last seen on Monday, February 7th. The effort to find Jordan has continued to grow over the week, as friends and family working with the Thunder Bay Police Service are searching for the teenager.
In stories like this, it is easy to forget how the parents, family and friends are impacted. Jordan, is from Webequie First Nation. Webequie is located on the northern peninsula of Eastwood Island on the Winisk Lake, 540 kilometers north of the city of Thunder Bay, or 450 kilometers north of the town of Sioux Lookout. Access is only by air or a seasonal winter road. There is no year-round road access. The nearest year-round road access is the town of Pickle Lake, 250 km to the southwest, or the town of Nakina, 320 km to the southeast. Charter air service to Webequie is available from both of these communities.
Like many young people from First Nations communities, Jordan is in Thunder Bay to complete his high school education.
READ MORE
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Police continue to search for missing teen
February 12, 2011
Police are continuing to look for a 15-year-old-boy last seen leaving a city bus Monday night.
Thunder Bay Police Service officers say Jordan Wabasse was last seen leaving a city bus near Holt Place and Mary Street at 10 p.m. on Feb. 7.
Police added on Saturday that they interviewed a man that got off the bus at the same time as Jordon.
Police describe Jordan as of Aboriginal decent, black hair, six-foot-one, about 200 pounds wearing a grey coloured jacked with a hood.
Police are asking residents in the area to check sheds, garages and potential places of shelter on or around their properties.
Anyone with information on the whereabouts of Jordan can contact police at (807) 684-1200.
http://www.tbnewswatch.com/news/132013/Police-continue-to-search-for-missing-teen
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Search Teams Need Your Help to Find Jordan Wabasse
February 13, 2011
THUNDER BAY – Right now, the search for Jordan Wabasse is continuing. Searchers on Sunday are continuing to look for the missing young man. As of 9:00 on Sunday morning the call has gone out for help in covering gasoline for searcher’s vehicles. “Gas Money is desperately needed for search purposes. the volunteers have already covered a wide range. About 100 volunteers are expected on Sunday for foot patrol searches.
If you want to donate call 577-1181 ext. 1628.
Somewhere in Thunder Bay there are people who know where Jordan Wabasse is. If you have any information, you are encouraged to share it. That small bit of information you have might just be the missing piece of the puzzle that will help solve this mystery.
Saturday started at 9AM at the Travelodge Airlane with friends, family and supporters on hand to help find Jordan Wabasse. The call for Helpers and Volunteers is getting out there and being answered.
The resources from Nishanable Aski Nation, and from the City of Thunder Bay are helping to make the ongoing effort work.
Thunder Bay Mayor Hobbs and NAN Grand Chief Beardy were on hand at the Airlane Saturday morning to show their support for the family. A representative of the OPP was also on hand for a briefing.
The volunteers who have signed for foot patrol searched around the area of Georgina Bay and Holt Place back trails.
If you’d like help, please come and sign for shift work. The phone number at Airlane Tiberio Room is 577-1181 ext 1628. Volunteer Drivers, Dispatchers, Care Givers, are all needed, as are food donations, cash donations for gasoline for the vehicles involved.
There is a Sacred Fire at the Norwester Best Western if anyone wants to go put tobacco there.
If you have any information, you are requested to share it with either the family, or the Thunder Bay Police Service. If you have any info contact the Thunder Bay Police (807) 684-1200 or his parents (807) 472-3845 or his boarding home (807) 285-7282 ASAP.
Our earlier coverage of this story includes comments from readers, and a another picture of Jordan. Visit http://netnewsledger.com/?p=5724 and http://netnewsledger.com/?p=5756
NetNewsledger.com offers this service to families of missing youth. If you have newstips or a missing child or teen, email details to newsroom@netnewsledger.com
Short URL: http://netnewsledger.com/?p=5791
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February 13, 2011
P11016794
Missing Person Jordan WABASSE Update
Jordan WABASSE remains missing. The search effort in the area near Holt Place and Mary Street continues today.
The most up to date description of Jordan is as follows:
Aboriginal male – 15 years of age
6’1” tall – 200 lbs
Straight black hair – brown eyes
Jordan was last seen wearing a dark grey jacket, purple hoodie, blue-grey Toronto Maple Leafs ball cap on backwards, black pants and white Adidas running shoes.
Jordan Wabasse at Intercity Shopping Centre
We are releasing a photo from an Intercity Shopping Centre surveillance camera. Jordan is seen in this photo at 8:15 p.m. on Monday February 7, 2011. He was last seen that evening as he got off a city transit bus on Mary Street near Holt Place at approximately 10:00 p.m. that night.
Anyone with information should contact police at 684-1200.
http://www.thunderbay.ca/Police/Media_Releases.htm
The male who got off of the bus at the same time as Jordan WABASSE on the evening of Monday February 7, 2011 has been located and interviewed.
Jordan WABASSE remains missing. A search of the area of Mary Street and Holt Place continues. Residents in that area are asked to check sheds, garages and potential places of shelter on or around their properties.
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February 13, 2011
P11016794
Missing Person Investigation Continues
Police are investigating suspicious foot prints which were found just after 3:30 p.m. this afternoon. Volunteer searchers discovered the footprints in snow near an area of open water located just east of the James Street swing bridge. The volunteers were searching the area in connection with the ongoing investigation into the disappearance of Jordan WABASSE.
The O.P.P.’s dive team has been contacted and will be assisting the Thunder Bay Police Service in this investigation.
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February 14, 2011
P11016794
Kam River – James Street Bridge Area
The search operation involving the O.P.P. dive team is expected to get underway sometime after 10:00 a.m. Tuesday morning. Access to the James Street swing bridge will be restricted during the search operation. At some point in the morning, vehicle and pedestrian traffic will be stopped when the operation is fully underway. We are asking that the general public avoid this section of James Street during this period.
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Search ongoing
February 14, 2011 | 17:56
...
A Thunder Bay Police Service cruiser parks near the Thunder Bay Swing Bridge over
the Kaministiquia River Monday afternoon. The OPP’s underwater recovery will begin
assisting with the search for a missing 15-year-old boy.
The Thunder Bay Police Service has requested the help of the OPP’s underwater recovery team in their search for missing 15-year-old Jordan Wabasse.
Insp. Andy Hay said the investigation is focused on an area near the Kaministiquia River south of James and Gore Streets.
“A volunteer search party noticed evidence that would indicate that somebody may have wandered out onto the ice towards the open water,” he said Monday afternoon. “This is an ongoing investigation, so we can’t release everything but there’s enough evidence there to suggest there is a good possibility that somebody has gone into the water there and unfortunately we suspect it may have been Jordan Wabasse.”
Wabasse was last seen leaving a city bus near Holt Place around 10 p.m. Feb. 7. He is described as Aboriginal with straight black hair, six-foot-one, about 200 pounds and was last spotted wearing a dark grey jacket with a purple hood, a backwards Toronto Maple Leafs cap, black pants and white Adidas shoes.
Webequie First Nation chief and council issued a statement Monday on behalf of Wabasse’s family expressing their appreciation for the assistance provided by the City of Thunder Bay, the Thunder Bay Police Service, Nishnawbe Aski Police Service, the Ontario Provincial Police and volunteers.
“The family is also very grateful to all of the organizations, communities and Jordan’s hockey team the Current River Comets, who have provided financial support in the search effort. The parents are very hopeful that the massive search will result in a positive outcome and will find Jordan alive and well,” the statement read.
A contingency of about 100 volunteers has set up a command centre at the Travelodge-Airlane. Anyone with any information on Wabasse is asked to contact the Thunder Bay police at (807) 684-1200.
http://www.tbnewswatch.com/news/132231/Search-ongoing
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Read the statement issued on behalf of the family of 15 year old Jordan Wabasse here:
Webequie First Nation Issues Statement on Jordan Wabasse
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Divers to join search for teen today
February 15, 2011
A provincial police dive team is to arrive in Thunder Bay today to aid in the search for a missing 15-year-old male.
The divers, who had been expected Monday, are to search the Kaministiquia River in the area of the James Street swing bridge for Jordan Wabasse, a Webequie First Nation member who’s been missing since Feb. 7.
Civilian searchers found footprints near open water just east of the bridge on Sunday.
Police vehicles were parked at either end of the bridge overnight Sunday and on Monday to keep the scene secure, Thunder Bay Police spokesman Chris Adams said.
During the search, tentatively scheduled to begin at about 10 a.m., access to the James Street bridge will be cut off to vehicles and pedestrians. The public is asked to avoid the area.
Police and civilian searchers have also been looking in the Mary Street and Holt Place area, where Wabasse was last seen getting off a city bus.
Wabasse was also seen at about 8:15 p.m. Feb. 7 at Intercity Shopping Centre, police said.
Searchers have also been knocking on doors in Westfort, and keeping in contact with Webequie in case he returns to his home community.
Foul play has not been ruled out, police said.
Wabasse is six-foot-one and 200 pounds. He has straight black hair and brown eyes.
He was last seen wearing a dark-grey jacket, a purple hoodie, a blue-grey Toronto Maple Leafs cap backwards, black pants and white Adidas running shoes.
Anyone with information is asked to contact police at 684-1200.
http://www.chroniclejournal.com/content/news/local/2011/02/15/divers-join-search-teen-today
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Supporters and searchers still need help.
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FB update 3:36 pm: Underwater search is standing down for the day and resume again
@8 am experiencing difficulty with currents & the safety of divers
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Search stalled
February 15, 2011
The OPP underwater search and recovery team’s search for missing 15-year-old Jordan Wabasse has been stalled until Wednesday morning because of the lack of available light among other issues.
Jodi Lundmark, tbnewswatch.com
The OPP underwater search and recovery team begins work to search for missing teen Jordan Wabasse Tuesday afternoon.
The four-member team arrived in the city at 3 a.m. Tuesday and began their search on the Kaministiquia River by the James Street swing bridge around noon to assist the local police in their search for Wabasse, who has been missing since Feb. 7.
Evidence observed by volunteer searchers led police to believe Wabasse could have wandered out onto the river.
OPP Sgt. Shelley Garr said the dive team can only work during daylight hours, but they will continue to search until they’re satisfied a complete search has been conducted.
The search for Wabasse has been a co-operative effort from the Nishnawbe-Aski Police Service, the Anishinabek Police Service, OPP, Thunder Bay Police Service and RCMP.
The James Street swing bridge over the Kaministiquia River was closed during the search on Tuesday and has since been re-opened. It will be closed again Wednesday once the underwater team continues the search.
The investigation is ongoing and officials with the Thunder Bay Police Service said any further details will be released immediately if there is a significant development in the case.
Police chief Bob Herman said the Wabasse family is in the hearts of police service members and the police are doing everything they can to assist the family.
“We’re all members of our community; we all have families,” he said. “If it was our child that was missing, we would feel absolutely terrible.”
http://www.tbnewswatch.com/news/132426/Search-stalled-
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Link to Facebook page . . . . .
Help Find Jordan Wabasse
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Kam search continues today
January 16, 2011
An Ontario Provincial Police dive team prepare an
underwater robot in the search effort for Jordan Wabasse
underneath the James Street swing bridge Tuesday afternoon. (Brent Linton)
A provincial police dive team is to resume the search for a missing youth in Thunder Bay’s Kaministiquia River today.
The team, which is in Thunder Bay from Gravenhurst, Ont., used a remote vehicle Tuesday to search the Kam near the James Street swing bridge as part of the search for 15-year-old Jordan Wabasse of Webequie First Nation.
Waboose was last seen Feb. 7 getting off a bus near his Holt Place residence on the city’s south-side near the Westfort playfield, police said.
Police are scouring the river because searchers spotted footprints near open water just east of the bridge on the weekend.
Tuesday’s OPP effort was shut down at about 3:30 p.m. due to “available light and other considerations.”
The team will continue to search in the river today, and the James Street bridge will again be closed to the public when operations are underway.
Thunder Bay Police spokesman Chris Adams said Tuesday’s search for Wabasse wasn’t limited to the river.
The criminal investigations branch was following up leads elsewhere in the city, he said.
In addition, officers are in contact with Wabasse’s home community in case he returns there.
Foul play has not been ruled out, police said.
Wabasse is six-foot-one and 200 pounds. He has straight black hair and brown eyes.
He was last seen wearing a dark-grey jacket, a purple hoodie, a blue-grey Toronto Maple Leafs cap backwards, black pants and white Adidas running shoes.
Anyone with information is asked to contact police at 684-1200.
http://www.chroniclejournal.com/content/news/local/2011/02/16/kam-search-continues-today
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Get to know Jordan Wabasse
snipped . . . . .
He’s a good kid. He likes hockey. That’s why he came south, to have better opportunities.
He’s a good artist. He’s big for his age, and may look older, except when he smiles.
Then he’s just a sweet, shy kid.
He’s good with digital arts. One of his pieces is going to be in a picture book- a companion piece to a documentary that was shot about him, and his fellow students and their struggles to get past the challenges they face in a remote community.
I’m shouting out these details so that he has a face for the people in the South who don’t know him. If they knew him, they’d be looking in bus and train stations in Toronto, Winnipeg, Timmins. They’d be searching in sub zero temperature in the back alleys, too.
Go to Facebook. There is a page about him, with up-dates and pictures. Visit his relations. Get to know him. Spread the word. Visit the Facebook page
If anyone in Thunder Bay is reading this, please drop off a donation of a Gas Card or cash to the family at The Divinci Centre – 340 Waterloo s Thunder Bay, P7E 5L5 – (807) 623-2415 . They keep careful records and are giving back receipts. There are a lot of community members out there on foot, knocking on doors, and searching sheds, garages, any place where he may be sheltering.
He’s a really good kid. This is uncharacteristic of him.
READ MORE
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February 16, 2011
P11016794
Missing Person Jordan WABASSE
The water search on the Kam River has concluded for today. There is nothing new to report from today’s activities at the scene. The O.P.P. Underwater Search and Recovery Unit will be back at the James Street Bridge location tomorrow morning. Operations are expected to commence after 9:00 a.m.
http://www.thunderbay.ca/Police/Media_Releases.htm
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February 17, 2011
P11016794
Update – Search for Missing Teen Jordan WABASSE
Joint Release by T.B.P.S. & the O.P.P.
The search operation involving the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) Underwater Search and Recovery Unit has concluded. The dive team commenced its operation on February 15, 2011. An exhaustive search of the waterway adjacent to the James Street bridge was completed this date.
A ball cap resembling one worn by Jordan on the night of his disappearance was recovered on a structure just offshore on Tuesday February 15, 2011. The hat is currently being examined at the Centre of Forensic Science.
Thunder Bay Police Service and OPP are determining the next steps in the search for Jordan WABASSE. It is expected that an update will be issued on Friday February 18, 2011.
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Thunder Bay Newswatch video: Wabasse Latest
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February 18, 2011
P11016794
Jordan WABASSE Missing Person Investigation Update
The investigation into the disappearance of Jordan WABASSE continues. A search of a wooded area off of City Road east of James Street will be conducted today by the Anishinabek Police Service. Thunder Bay Police will search the river banks adjacent to the original dive site on the Kaministiquia River near James Street beginning tomorrow.
The Ontario Provincial Police will be assisting the Thunder Bay Police Service with the use of a helicopter. The OPP helicopter is expected to be in the air tomorrow afternoon. An aerial search will be conducted of the Kam River.
http://www.thunderbay.ca/Police/Media_Releases.htm
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Shifting focus
February 18, 2011
Police have temporarily shifted their focus in the search for missing teen Jordan Wabasse.
Acting on a tip, Anishnawbek Police Service officers and two volunteers from the Fort William First Nation community began a snowmobile search of wooded land behind the busy THP Gas Bar on City Road.
Det.-Insp. Phil Levesque of the Thunder Bay Police Service on Friday said police will also continue to scour the banks of the Kaministiquia River after a ball cap believed to be the missing 15-year-old’s was found in the river earlier in the week.
“We do have a group of volunteers in the community who are helping us out and helping Jordan’s family to look,” he said. “Through some discussion in their group they felt that it was worth looking there. They passed information along to us and we’re following up a search today.
Two Anishnawbek Police Service officers begin a ground search in the case of missing teen Jordan Wabasse. The search was to focus on a wooded area behind THP Gas Bar on City Road on Fort William First Nation.
Leith Dunick, tbnewswatch.com
“Anishnawbek (Police Service) officers agreed to help us out with that and they’ll be deploying in the area.”
APS Const. John Rivet said they planned to do a grid-style search of the area in question, which he said was several square kilometers in size.
Searchers will be looking for anything out of the ordinary, he added.
“The area we’ll be searching isn’t travelled very often, (so we’ll be looking for) footprints, articles of clothing, himself, obviously. There are paths, a couple of small lakes back there. It’s heavily wooded.”
Rivet said they were acting on information from city police that indicated “he may be back there.”
Levesque said while their focus remains on the Kam River – divers have been in the water most of the week searching for Wabasse – police are acting on other tips, just in case.
“Any information that comes in is followed up and we will make every effort in the area to take a look and see what we can find,” said Levesque. “This way it’s covered off and if there are any questions of what’s remaining to be done we know we put our best foot forward and had officers look.”
Wabasse, a Webequie First Nation resident who came to Thunder Bay for school and hockey, disappeared on Feb. 7.
The search began a couple of days later.
While police originally thought he might have run away, as time marches on that theory becomes less and less likely, Levesque said.
“We feel that we’ve moved away from that right now, given the evidence from earlier in the week,” said Levesque, adding footprints in the snow by the riverbank indicates he might have been somewhere in the area.
Though the likelihood of a happy ending is growing dimmer by the day, especially as temperatures dip as they did on Friday, police say they won’t give up hope just yet and intend to carry the search into next week. They will also be bringing in aerial support starting Saturday afternoon.
“We have to keep our options open. The searchers remain positive, although as time goes by and we don’t hear from Jordan we’re expecting that the end result could be tragic,” Levesque said. “But on the other hand, like I said, we’re going to keep our options open and we’ll just keep gathering information and see what happens.”
Anyone with any information is asked to call the Thunder Bay Police crime unit at 684-1214 or Crime Stoppers at 623-TIPS.
http://www.tbnewswatch.com/news/133099/Shifting-focus
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Search for teen turns up empty
snippped . . . . .
Nothing was found by 4 p.m. when the search concluded.
Provincial police will use a helicopter to search along the Kam River today, while Thunder Bay police officers scour the river banks near the James Street swing bridge.
“The idea is to look at every possibility where he may have travelled,” Thunder Bay Police spokesman Chris Adams said.
Police have asked residents who live in the Westfort area to check their sheds, garages and any other place where the boy might have gone for shelter.
Read more
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February 19, 2011
P11016794
Jordan WABASSE Missing Person Investigation Update
The investigation into the disappearance of Jordan WABASSE continues. A search of a wooded area off of City Road east of James Street was conducted Friday by the Anishinabek Police Service and volunteers. Results were negative. Thunder Bay Police have begun a search of the river banks adjacent to the original dive site on the Kaministiquia River near James Street.
The Ontario Provincial Police helicopter has been delayed in its flight from southern Ontario to Thunder Bay due to weather. The aircraft is now expected to be in the air Sunday afternoon. An aerial search will be conducted of the Kam River.
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February 20, 2011
P11016794
Jordan WABASSE Search Update
The ground search of the Kaministiquia River bank in the vicinity of the James Street Bridge has been conducted with negative results. The aerial search has been postponed until tomorrow (Monday) due to a delay in the arrival of the O.P.P. helicopter.
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Family and Friends and Community Coming together for Jordan Wabasse
February 21, 2011
THUNDER BAY – Maybe it is just the distance? Maybe it is because every news day is just another really busy day, but a new friend of mine, Cathy Elliott from Toronto is left wondering why none of the major media in Toronto have covered the story. The story is a missing Aboriginal teenager, Jordan Wabasse from Webiquie First Nation in Northwestern Ontario.
Jordan went missing 14 days ago, but so far, there is not so much as a mention of the story in the national media. It is almost as if there is a wall around Thunder Bay that doesn’t allow the story to get out. Either that, or … well who knows what reason there could be for the complete lack of coverage.
When a child goes missing in Toronto, the national media coverage is usually there sharing the information with everyone in Canada. The local coverage has grown. CBC Radio in Thunder Bay, the Chronicle Journal, TBTV, and TBNewswatch, and Lake Superior News in Thunder Bay have covered the story. There are posters all over Thunder Bay. People are volunteering to help.
No one is giving up hope. People are out in the streets searching for Jordan. There are people standing in the cold outside the search headquarters near the James Street Swing Bridge making sure people can find their way to the search headquarters. They are collecting donations for the search.
Today with the assistance of the O.P.P.’s Aviation Services, an aerial search of the Kaministiquia River and vicinity has been conducted with negative results. The search focused both up and downstream from the James Street Bridge.
The investigation continues. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Thunder Bay Police Service @ 807 684-1200.
NetNewsledger.com has been covering the story too. People from across Canada have been reading the story, and sharing the story with their friends and family. Yet outside Thunder Bay, as Day 14 since Jordan went missing, the story has not generated a mention. Not a single word. Nothing.
Maybe it is because stories of First Nations issues and missing Aboriginal people are just not considered interesting enough to garner the attention of reporters in the major centres of Canada? Maybe it is that the idea of covering another story of another missing youth just isn’t important enough.
Today is “Family Day” in Ontario. There is one family, the family of First Nations people across Northwestern Ontario who are not having an entirely happy Family Day, they are searching, hoping and praying that they will find Jordan.
READ MORE
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Poster's note: I have been wondering for some time now why no national media has reported on this case, especially considering that missing persons from other small towns are given national exposure.
I will be writing CBC, CTV and Global TV hoping for a positive outcome. Jordan Wabasse deserves the same media exposure as all other missing persons in the relentless effort to bring him home to his family. Here are the contact links if anyone else would like to write national media.
CBC Contact Link | CTV Contact Link | Global TV News Contact Link
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February 21, 2011
P11016794
Jordan WABASSE Aerial Search Update
Today with the assistance of the O.P.P.’s Aviation Services, an aerial search of the Kaministiquia River and vicinity has been conducted with negative results. The search focused both up and downstream from the James Street Bridge.
The investigation continues. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Thunder Bay Police Service @ 807 684-1200.
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No luck
snipped . . . . .
Answers to how long the search continues could come as soon as the middle of this week, Lewis said.
“We’re waiting for more information to come in and there will be more information from a news conference that I believe is scheduled for Wednesday,” he said. “We’re going to meet with the other police service agencies such as Anishnawbek Police Service and Nishnawbe Aski Police Service and the family and the volunteer group to come up with further strategies we can use.”
One of those who will be consulted is Webequie First Nation Chief Cornelius Wabasse, who is not related to the missing teen, but as worried as any family member would be about the disappearance. Chief Wabasse is not sure how long the search, which had about 50 people mobilized through a temporary command unit set up in a building just off the James Street Bridge on Fort William First Nation land, will continue.
“We haven’t made a decision on that yet, so we will continue our search. We are going to have to at some point discuss what we’re going to do if we don’t find the missing teen,” he said.
Chief Wabasse added searchers are trying to maintain a positive outlook, despite a lack of results. He added the volunteers, many of whom have been at it round the clock since the search began, are getting tired, but more are joining the effort each day, providing much-needed relief.
“The volunteers are being very positive and they are getting energized from the support we are getting from the city,” he said.
Like the police, they’re dealing with a number of incoming tips, rumours and information, doing their best to sort through it to find plausible leads to chase after.
READ MORE: http://www.tbnewswatch.com/news/133385/No-luck
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February 23, 2011
P11016794
Missing Person Jordan WABASSE Investigation Recap
Left to right: Chief Wabasse, Jodan's Parents: Derek and Bernice Jacob, Inspector Andy Hay TBPS & Sgt. Jackie George
N.A.P.S. Today's News Conference to Recap the investigation.
The investigation into the disappearance of Jordan WABASSE continues. Jordan was last seen on the evening of February 7, 2011 when he stepped off of a city transit bus on Mary Street near Holt Place.
After Jordan’s disappearance, an extensive search was conducted by the Thunder Bay Police Service Emergency Task Unit assisted by volunteers. A multi-branch Investigation has followed up on information, tips and conducted numerous interviews. Surveillance videos have been examined as part of the investigation. The local media has also assisted in the effort.
Volunteers from Jordan’s home of Webequie First Nation along with other First Nation communities have conducted a number of ground searches in an effort to locate the missing teen. Police agencies including the O.P.P., The Nishnawbe-Aski Police Service, The Anishinabek Police Service and the R.C.M.P. have assisted in the effort to locate Jordan WABASSE.
A ball cap and footprints were located just off shore on the Kaministiquia River just east of the James Street Bridge. The O.P.P.’s Underwater Search and Recovery Unit searched the water with negative results. An extensive ground and aerial search was conduced of the area also with negative results. Investigators are awaiting results from an examination of the ball cap to determine if it did belong to Jordan.
The Thunder Bay Police Service will continue to investigate information and any tips that come forward. The O.P.P. will be assisting in another water search once the ice on the Kaministiquia River has dissipated this spring.
Anyone with information regarding this investigation is asked to contact police or Crime Stoppers.
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Teen’s parents have faith
February 24, 2011
Bernice Jacob holds her two-year-old son Derren Jacob
while making an emotional appeal Wednesday
to her missing son Jordan Wabasse. (Brent Linton)
The parents of a missing 15-year-old Webequie First Nation boy believe their son is still in the Thunder Bay area.
Bernice and Derek Jacob pleaded Wednesday for their son Jordan Wabasse — who’s been the subject of aerial, underwater and ground searches on the Kaministiquia River since he was last seen more than two weeks ago — to contact them.
“Please, Jordan, let us know where you are,” Bernice Jacob said, her voice cracking. “We want to know if you’re OK.”
Bernice Jacob held her two-year-old son Derren in her lap as she spoke, while Nishnawbe Aski Nation Grand Chief Stan Beardy sat beside her in silence, his hands on her arm in a show of support as she addressed a crowd of police, volunteers and reporters during an emotional news conference at the CNRA recreation hall on S. James Street.
Bernice Jacob asked everyone to “keep their eyes open” for Wabasse.
The CNRA building, its walls decorated with hand-made posters bearing images of a smiling Wabasse and messages as “Help find Jordan,” has served as headquarters for the search, which is concentrated on and around the frozen Kam River nearby.
READ MORE
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VIDEO: Wabasse news conference
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Day 17 – Search for Jordan Wabasse Continues
February 25, 2011
THUNDER BAY – It has now been 17 days since Jordan Wabasse went missing. The Thunder Bay Police Service, Ontario Provincial Police, Nishawbe Aski Police, and volunteers, friends and family have been looking for this missing 15 year old teenager. The path forward will be tough. As each day passes, the trail is just a little colder. However no one is giving up!
Jordan Wabasse at Intercity Mall on Feb. 7 Jordan was last seen wearing a
dark grey jacket, purple hoodie, blue-grey Toronto Maple Leafs ball cap on backwards,
black pants and white Adidas running shoes
Bernice Jacob, Jordan’s Mom posted on her Facebook profile, a message she received, “Today is Day 17 our Oji-Cree warrior Atik Awasish 15 year old from Webequie First Nation is still missing in Thunder Bay ON. Spirits spoke yesterday, spirits never lie where you are and we know what happened….we will find you brother, Atik Awasish”.
It is a message that friends and family feel is important. Somewhere in Thunder Bay, or elsewhere, someone knows more than they are willing to share.
READ MORE
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Editorial: Sad search for missing teen
February 28, 2011
It’s been nearly four weeks since 15-year-old Jordan Wabasse went missing.
The Webequie First Nation teen, in Thunder?Bay for school and to play hockey, was last seen getting off a bus in the Mary Street area.
Since then, the only clues as to what might have happened to the youngster are a Toronto Maple Leafs hat found in the Kaministiquia River and some footprints leading to the shoreline.
Sadly, the odds are not in Jordan’s favour.
With temperatures plummeting last week, even police are suggesting this situation will likely end in tragedy.
Luckily for Jordan there are still plenty of people, including police, who are holding out hope.
The ground search is expected to continue, and until all leads have been exhausted, it should.
Until it happens to you, no one truly understands what Bernice Jacobs, his mother, and the rest of his family and Webequie community is going through.
Jordan is a son, a brother, a family member and a trusted friend. We, as a society, owe it to him to leave no stone unturned searching for him.
It’s what we’d expect if it were someone we loved.
It’s the definition of humanity.
Our thoughts and prayers go out to Bernice Jacob and her family. Never have they needed them more.
http://www.tbnewswatch.com/opinion/134534/Editorial-Sad-search-for-missing-teen
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Sachigo Lake First Nation Ladies Hold Walk-a-Thon for Jordan Wabasse
March 3, 2011
...
THUNDER BAY – A sure sign that no one is giving up, this week, despite the cold weather, Sachigo Lake First Nation ladies Myra Beardy and Charlene Brown did a fifty kilometre walk-a-thon to raise money, and awareness for Jordan Wabasse. It is now Day 25 since the Webequie First Nation teenager went missing in Thunder Bay. The walkathon saw $5697.00 raised for the Wabasse family in Thunder Bay.
Jordan Wabasse was last seen getting off a Thunder Bay Transit bus on February 7th.
“Well, I am up and just about ready to face what today will bring me. All in all, I am not worried about myself, because today is not about ME but for the family of Jordan Wabasse.
Read more
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Search for missing teen continues month after disappearance
March 7, 2011
It has been one month since 15-year-old Jordan Wabasse went missing, and there's still no word on the whereabouts of the Webequie First Nation teenager.
Volunteers continue to search, even though police have scaled back their efforts until the ice on the Kaministiquia River melts.
Jordan was last seen getting off a city bus in Westfort at around 10 p.m. on Feb. 7.
After an extensive search by police and volunteers along the banks of the Kam River, a baseball cap was the only item found. The cap is being tested for DNA. It will be another two weeks to see if it matches that of Jordan.
Search co-ordinator, Lillian Suganaqueb said volunteers are still helping out, and they continue to be in good spirits.
She said crews have been searching every day since Jordan went missing.
Read more
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Shoe found near river, may have belonged to missing teen
March 23, 2011
Volunteers searching for a missing 15-year-old boy have found a shoe on the north shore of the Kaministiquia River.
The running shoe was discovered in a snow bank on Monday, March 21 on the shore of the river by the James Street swing bridge. Volunteers were in the area looking for signs of Jordan Wabasse, who was last seen on Feb. 7.
Officials with the Thunder Bay Police Service said the shoe was found by the ship pier, which is close to where a baseball cap was found about a month ago.
Investigators with the city police force say they believe there is a high probability that the shoe belonged to the missing teen. The baseball cap found earlier matched that of the cap Jordan is described to have been wearing before his disappearance.
Wabasse was last seen leaving a city bus near Holt Place around 10 p.m. Feb. 7.
City police, the OPP and volunteers began searching the Mary Street and Holt Place area earlier in February. The search moved to the partially frozen Kaministiquia River following a tip to police, which eventually led to a three-day underwater search by an OPP dive team.
Thunder Bay Police officials recently told media that there is a chance that another underwater search could begin soon now that the Kam River is beginning to open up.
Anyone with information about the disappearance of Jordan Wabasse is asked to contact police or Crime Stoppers.
http://www.tbnewswatch.com/news/138102/Shoe-found-near-river,-may-have-belonged-to-missing-teen
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Seeking Positive Solutions for the North[/b]
March 28, 2011
THUNDER BAY – CBC’s award winning The Fifth Estate will be in Thunder Bay this week. The program will be covering the ongoing search for Jordan Wabasse, the 16 year old Webequie First Nation youth who has been missing in Thunder Bay since February 7th.
The search for the missing youth has brought together First Nation Communities from across Northwestern Ontario.
There have been a number of teens go missing in the city. Often, coverage of the news of those missing young people doesn’t make it outside of our region.
In the case of Jordan Wabasse, there has been coverage on the APTN, and a report in the Guelph Mercury of a pray vigil to support finding Jordan. Other than that, the news outside of Thunder Bay has been somewhat sparse.
The searchers and communities across the North have kept up their search with hundreds of people having participated. Thousands of dollars have been donated by many people in the ongoing efforts to find Jordan Wabasse. Many in Thunder Bay have stepped up to help.
No one knows what has happened to Jordan Wabasse. There are many rumours, but as stated frequently on the Facebook page dedicated to finding Jordan, rely on facts, not rumours.
Jordan’s grandmother, writes, “The search for my grandson continues again tomorrow…please, someone tell of his whereabouts…just wanna know,just wanna know, just wanna know…….please”. Across the North, the searchers can echo those thoughts.
With The Fifth Estate coming to Thunder Bay to report on the story, it allows word of what is happening in Thunder Bay to reach across Canada. One can hope it will help to make a positive difference.
There are several large issues here as well.
READ MORE
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Thunder Bay Police - Media Release
March 30, 2011
P11016794
Missing Person Jordan WABASSE Water Search
The Underwater Search and Recovery Unit of the Ontario Provincial Police will be conducting a search of the Kaministiquia River just east of the James Street Bridge on Thursday March 31, 2011.
This is planned to be an extended underwater search in support of the investigation into the disappearance of Jordan WABASSE. The U.S.R.U. had conducted a limited search back in February 2011 in the immediate vicinity of where a hat, believed to have belonged to Jordan had been found. That search was negative.
Jordan WABASSE was last seen on the evening of February 7, 2011.
http://www.thunderbay.ca/Police/Media_Releases.htm
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[b]Underwater team returns to search for missing teen
March 30, 2011
Police will conduct another underwater search in an effort to find a teen who has been missing since early February.
Officials with the OPP confirmed Wednesday that the underwater search and recovery unit will begin searching the Kaministiquia River, just east of the James Street Bridge, on Thursday.
Jordan Wabasse, 15, has been missing since Feb. 7.
"The idea of the search is a follow-up to the initial one that was conducted back in February," said Thunder Bay Police Service's spokesman Chris Adams. "This search will be a little more extensive. It will cover more water now that the ice is out of the river and the water conditions, hopefully, tomorrow will be stable."
Adams said searchers plan to use technology in Thursday's search, which could last a couple of days.
"They have a couple of different sonar devices they can use, and in this case they're also going to be using a boat to allow them to cover a little bit more ground. The idea is that they can cover more water, they can take a look at the bottom of the river and cover much more distance than they did earlier."
At the time of the first search, the underwater team was able to conduct a limited search, which led to the retrieval of a baseball cap that likely belonged to Jordan.
That underwater search lasted three days.
Since then, volunteer search teams discovered a shoe in the same area that may have also belonged to Jordan.
http://tbnewswatch.com/news/139055/Underwater-team-returns-to-search-for-missing-teen
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April 01, 2011
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Second search ends
Police conducted one last underwater search for missing 15-year-old Jordan Wabasse Friday.
As of Friday afternoon, the OPP underwater search and rescue team hadn’t turned up any new evidence in the search for the missing teen, who was last seen Feb. 7.
The two-day effort is the second underwater search on the Kaministiquia River for Jordan.
Thunder Bay Police Service Det. Don Lewis said If nothing new was found by the end of the day, the next phase of the search will come when the snow and ice is gone.
Det. Don Lewis said OPP dive team hadn't recovered
any new evidence in search for Jordan Wabasse as of Friday afternoon.
“We’ll plan for another foot search of the river banks,” he said, adding the dive team may return again once the snow is gone.
“The challenge with waiting until the summertime is you have – along the river banks – the foliage that will grow and make it difficult to see those spots,” he said.
“That’s why for the next three to four weeks, we want to get onto that as soon as the snow and ice disappears.”
Police are also considering bringing the OPP helicopter back for another aerial search now that the ice is almost gone from the river.
http://www.tbnewswatch.com/news/139641/Second-search-ends
February 10, 2011
Police are asking for the public's help in locating a missing teen.
Officials with the Thunder Bay Police Service say 15- year old Jordan Wabasse has not been heard from since Monday.
He is described as standing about six-feet and one-inch tall, and weighing about 200 pounds. He has black hair.
Police say Jordan may be in the area around Victoriaville, but has also been known to frequent the south downtown core.
Anyone with information on the whereabouts of 15-year-old Jordan Wabasse is asked to contact the Thunder Bay Police (807) 684-1200.
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Search Efforts Expanding For Jordan Wabasse
February 11, 2011
Jordan Wabasse - missing 15-year-old
THUNDER BAY – The power of the Internet, social networking, friends and family all are working together to find Jordan Wabasse a missing 15-year-old. The teenager, who is 6’1″ tall, and has dark hair was last seen on Monday, February 7th. The effort to find Jordan has continued to grow over the week, as friends and family working with the Thunder Bay Police Service are searching for the teenager.
In stories like this, it is easy to forget how the parents, family and friends are impacted. Jordan, is from Webequie First Nation. Webequie is located on the northern peninsula of Eastwood Island on the Winisk Lake, 540 kilometers north of the city of Thunder Bay, or 450 kilometers north of the town of Sioux Lookout. Access is only by air or a seasonal winter road. There is no year-round road access. The nearest year-round road access is the town of Pickle Lake, 250 km to the southwest, or the town of Nakina, 320 km to the southeast. Charter air service to Webequie is available from both of these communities.
Like many young people from First Nations communities, Jordan is in Thunder Bay to complete his high school education.
READ MORE
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Police continue to search for missing teen
February 12, 2011
Police are continuing to look for a 15-year-old-boy last seen leaving a city bus Monday night.
Thunder Bay Police Service officers say Jordan Wabasse was last seen leaving a city bus near Holt Place and Mary Street at 10 p.m. on Feb. 7.
Police added on Saturday that they interviewed a man that got off the bus at the same time as Jordon.
Police describe Jordan as of Aboriginal decent, black hair, six-foot-one, about 200 pounds wearing a grey coloured jacked with a hood.
Police are asking residents in the area to check sheds, garages and potential places of shelter on or around their properties.
Anyone with information on the whereabouts of Jordan can contact police at (807) 684-1200.
http://www.tbnewswatch.com/news/132013/Police-continue-to-search-for-missing-teen
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Search Teams Need Your Help to Find Jordan Wabasse
February 13, 2011
THUNDER BAY – Right now, the search for Jordan Wabasse is continuing. Searchers on Sunday are continuing to look for the missing young man. As of 9:00 on Sunday morning the call has gone out for help in covering gasoline for searcher’s vehicles. “Gas Money is desperately needed for search purposes. the volunteers have already covered a wide range. About 100 volunteers are expected on Sunday for foot patrol searches.
If you want to donate call 577-1181 ext. 1628.
Somewhere in Thunder Bay there are people who know where Jordan Wabasse is. If you have any information, you are encouraged to share it. That small bit of information you have might just be the missing piece of the puzzle that will help solve this mystery.
Saturday started at 9AM at the Travelodge Airlane with friends, family and supporters on hand to help find Jordan Wabasse. The call for Helpers and Volunteers is getting out there and being answered.
The resources from Nishanable Aski Nation, and from the City of Thunder Bay are helping to make the ongoing effort work.
Thunder Bay Mayor Hobbs and NAN Grand Chief Beardy were on hand at the Airlane Saturday morning to show their support for the family. A representative of the OPP was also on hand for a briefing.
The volunteers who have signed for foot patrol searched around the area of Georgina Bay and Holt Place back trails.
If you’d like help, please come and sign for shift work. The phone number at Airlane Tiberio Room is 577-1181 ext 1628. Volunteer Drivers, Dispatchers, Care Givers, are all needed, as are food donations, cash donations for gasoline for the vehicles involved.
There is a Sacred Fire at the Norwester Best Western if anyone wants to go put tobacco there.
If you have any information, you are requested to share it with either the family, or the Thunder Bay Police Service. If you have any info contact the Thunder Bay Police (807) 684-1200 or his parents (807) 472-3845 or his boarding home (807) 285-7282 ASAP.
Our earlier coverage of this story includes comments from readers, and a another picture of Jordan. Visit http://netnewsledger.com/?p=5724 and http://netnewsledger.com/?p=5756
NetNewsledger.com offers this service to families of missing youth. If you have newstips or a missing child or teen, email details to newsroom@netnewsledger.com
Short URL: http://netnewsledger.com/?p=5791
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February 13, 2011
P11016794
Missing Person Jordan WABASSE Update
Jordan WABASSE remains missing. The search effort in the area near Holt Place and Mary Street continues today.
The most up to date description of Jordan is as follows:
Aboriginal male – 15 years of age
6’1” tall – 200 lbs
Straight black hair – brown eyes
Jordan was last seen wearing a dark grey jacket, purple hoodie, blue-grey Toronto Maple Leafs ball cap on backwards, black pants and white Adidas running shoes.
Jordan Wabasse at Intercity Shopping Centre
We are releasing a photo from an Intercity Shopping Centre surveillance camera. Jordan is seen in this photo at 8:15 p.m. on Monday February 7, 2011. He was last seen that evening as he got off a city transit bus on Mary Street near Holt Place at approximately 10:00 p.m. that night.
Anyone with information should contact police at 684-1200.
http://www.thunderbay.ca/Police/Media_Releases.htm
The male who got off of the bus at the same time as Jordan WABASSE on the evening of Monday February 7, 2011 has been located and interviewed.
Jordan WABASSE remains missing. A search of the area of Mary Street and Holt Place continues. Residents in that area are asked to check sheds, garages and potential places of shelter on or around their properties.
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February 13, 2011
P11016794
Missing Person Investigation Continues
Police are investigating suspicious foot prints which were found just after 3:30 p.m. this afternoon. Volunteer searchers discovered the footprints in snow near an area of open water located just east of the James Street swing bridge. The volunteers were searching the area in connection with the ongoing investigation into the disappearance of Jordan WABASSE.
The O.P.P.’s dive team has been contacted and will be assisting the Thunder Bay Police Service in this investigation.
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February 14, 2011
P11016794
Kam River – James Street Bridge Area
The search operation involving the O.P.P. dive team is expected to get underway sometime after 10:00 a.m. Tuesday morning. Access to the James Street swing bridge will be restricted during the search operation. At some point in the morning, vehicle and pedestrian traffic will be stopped when the operation is fully underway. We are asking that the general public avoid this section of James Street during this period.
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Search ongoing
February 14, 2011 | 17:56
...A Thunder Bay Police Service cruiser parks near the Thunder Bay Swing Bridge over
the Kaministiquia River Monday afternoon. The OPP’s underwater recovery will begin
assisting with the search for a missing 15-year-old boy.
The Thunder Bay Police Service has requested the help of the OPP’s underwater recovery team in their search for missing 15-year-old Jordan Wabasse.
Insp. Andy Hay said the investigation is focused on an area near the Kaministiquia River south of James and Gore Streets.
“A volunteer search party noticed evidence that would indicate that somebody may have wandered out onto the ice towards the open water,” he said Monday afternoon. “This is an ongoing investigation, so we can’t release everything but there’s enough evidence there to suggest there is a good possibility that somebody has gone into the water there and unfortunately we suspect it may have been Jordan Wabasse.”
Wabasse was last seen leaving a city bus near Holt Place around 10 p.m. Feb. 7. He is described as Aboriginal with straight black hair, six-foot-one, about 200 pounds and was last spotted wearing a dark grey jacket with a purple hood, a backwards Toronto Maple Leafs cap, black pants and white Adidas shoes.
Webequie First Nation chief and council issued a statement Monday on behalf of Wabasse’s family expressing their appreciation for the assistance provided by the City of Thunder Bay, the Thunder Bay Police Service, Nishnawbe Aski Police Service, the Ontario Provincial Police and volunteers.
“The family is also very grateful to all of the organizations, communities and Jordan’s hockey team the Current River Comets, who have provided financial support in the search effort. The parents are very hopeful that the massive search will result in a positive outcome and will find Jordan alive and well,” the statement read.
A contingency of about 100 volunteers has set up a command centre at the Travelodge-Airlane. Anyone with any information on Wabasse is asked to contact the Thunder Bay police at (807) 684-1200.
http://www.tbnewswatch.com/news/132231/Search-ongoing
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Read the statement issued on behalf of the family of 15 year old Jordan Wabasse here:
Webequie First Nation Issues Statement on Jordan Wabasse
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Divers to join search for teen today
February 15, 2011
A provincial police dive team is to arrive in Thunder Bay today to aid in the search for a missing 15-year-old male.
The divers, who had been expected Monday, are to search the Kaministiquia River in the area of the James Street swing bridge for Jordan Wabasse, a Webequie First Nation member who’s been missing since Feb. 7.
Civilian searchers found footprints near open water just east of the bridge on Sunday.
Police vehicles were parked at either end of the bridge overnight Sunday and on Monday to keep the scene secure, Thunder Bay Police spokesman Chris Adams said.
During the search, tentatively scheduled to begin at about 10 a.m., access to the James Street bridge will be cut off to vehicles and pedestrians. The public is asked to avoid the area.
Police and civilian searchers have also been looking in the Mary Street and Holt Place area, where Wabasse was last seen getting off a city bus.
Wabasse was also seen at about 8:15 p.m. Feb. 7 at Intercity Shopping Centre, police said.
Searchers have also been knocking on doors in Westfort, and keeping in contact with Webequie in case he returns to his home community.
Foul play has not been ruled out, police said.
Wabasse is six-foot-one and 200 pounds. He has straight black hair and brown eyes.
He was last seen wearing a dark-grey jacket, a purple hoodie, a blue-grey Toronto Maple Leafs cap backwards, black pants and white Adidas running shoes.
Anyone with information is asked to contact police at 684-1200.
http://www.chroniclejournal.com/content/news/local/2011/02/15/divers-join-search-teen-today
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Supporters and searchers still need help.
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FB update 3:36 pm: Underwater search is standing down for the day and resume again
@8 am experiencing difficulty with currents & the safety of divers
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Search stalled
February 15, 2011
The OPP underwater search and recovery team’s search for missing 15-year-old Jordan Wabasse has been stalled until Wednesday morning because of the lack of available light among other issues.
Jodi Lundmark, tbnewswatch.com
The OPP underwater search and recovery team begins work to search for missing teen Jordan Wabasse Tuesday afternoon.
The four-member team arrived in the city at 3 a.m. Tuesday and began their search on the Kaministiquia River by the James Street swing bridge around noon to assist the local police in their search for Wabasse, who has been missing since Feb. 7.
Evidence observed by volunteer searchers led police to believe Wabasse could have wandered out onto the river.
OPP Sgt. Shelley Garr said the dive team can only work during daylight hours, but they will continue to search until they’re satisfied a complete search has been conducted.
The search for Wabasse has been a co-operative effort from the Nishnawbe-Aski Police Service, the Anishinabek Police Service, OPP, Thunder Bay Police Service and RCMP.
The James Street swing bridge over the Kaministiquia River was closed during the search on Tuesday and has since been re-opened. It will be closed again Wednesday once the underwater team continues the search.
The investigation is ongoing and officials with the Thunder Bay Police Service said any further details will be released immediately if there is a significant development in the case.
Police chief Bob Herman said the Wabasse family is in the hearts of police service members and the police are doing everything they can to assist the family.
“We’re all members of our community; we all have families,” he said. “If it was our child that was missing, we would feel absolutely terrible.”
http://www.tbnewswatch.com/news/132426/Search-stalled-
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Link to Facebook page . . . . .
Help Find Jordan Wabasse
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Kam search continues today
January 16, 2011
An Ontario Provincial Police dive team prepare an
underwater robot in the search effort for Jordan Wabasse
underneath the James Street swing bridge Tuesday afternoon. (Brent Linton)
A provincial police dive team is to resume the search for a missing youth in Thunder Bay’s Kaministiquia River today.
The team, which is in Thunder Bay from Gravenhurst, Ont., used a remote vehicle Tuesday to search the Kam near the James Street swing bridge as part of the search for 15-year-old Jordan Wabasse of Webequie First Nation.
Waboose was last seen Feb. 7 getting off a bus near his Holt Place residence on the city’s south-side near the Westfort playfield, police said.
Police are scouring the river because searchers spotted footprints near open water just east of the bridge on the weekend.
Tuesday’s OPP effort was shut down at about 3:30 p.m. due to “available light and other considerations.”
The team will continue to search in the river today, and the James Street bridge will again be closed to the public when operations are underway.
Thunder Bay Police spokesman Chris Adams said Tuesday’s search for Wabasse wasn’t limited to the river.
The criminal investigations branch was following up leads elsewhere in the city, he said.
In addition, officers are in contact with Wabasse’s home community in case he returns there.
Foul play has not been ruled out, police said.
Wabasse is six-foot-one and 200 pounds. He has straight black hair and brown eyes.
He was last seen wearing a dark-grey jacket, a purple hoodie, a blue-grey Toronto Maple Leafs cap backwards, black pants and white Adidas running shoes.
Anyone with information is asked to contact police at 684-1200.
http://www.chroniclejournal.com/content/news/local/2011/02/16/kam-search-continues-today
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Get to know Jordan Wabasse
snipped . . . . .
He’s a good kid. He likes hockey. That’s why he came south, to have better opportunities.
He’s a good artist. He’s big for his age, and may look older, except when he smiles.
Then he’s just a sweet, shy kid.
He’s good with digital arts. One of his pieces is going to be in a picture book- a companion piece to a documentary that was shot about him, and his fellow students and their struggles to get past the challenges they face in a remote community.
I’m shouting out these details so that he has a face for the people in the South who don’t know him. If they knew him, they’d be looking in bus and train stations in Toronto, Winnipeg, Timmins. They’d be searching in sub zero temperature in the back alleys, too.
Go to Facebook. There is a page about him, with up-dates and pictures. Visit his relations. Get to know him. Spread the word. Visit the Facebook page
If anyone in Thunder Bay is reading this, please drop off a donation of a Gas Card or cash to the family at The Divinci Centre – 340 Waterloo s Thunder Bay, P7E 5L5 – (807) 623-2415 . They keep careful records and are giving back receipts. There are a lot of community members out there on foot, knocking on doors, and searching sheds, garages, any place where he may be sheltering.
He’s a really good kid. This is uncharacteristic of him.
READ MORE
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February 16, 2011
P11016794
Missing Person Jordan WABASSE
The water search on the Kam River has concluded for today. There is nothing new to report from today’s activities at the scene. The O.P.P. Underwater Search and Recovery Unit will be back at the James Street Bridge location tomorrow morning. Operations are expected to commence after 9:00 a.m.
http://www.thunderbay.ca/Police/Media_Releases.htm
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February 17, 2011
P11016794
Update – Search for Missing Teen Jordan WABASSE
Joint Release by T.B.P.S. & the O.P.P.
The search operation involving the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) Underwater Search and Recovery Unit has concluded. The dive team commenced its operation on February 15, 2011. An exhaustive search of the waterway adjacent to the James Street bridge was completed this date.
A ball cap resembling one worn by Jordan on the night of his disappearance was recovered on a structure just offshore on Tuesday February 15, 2011. The hat is currently being examined at the Centre of Forensic Science.
Thunder Bay Police Service and OPP are determining the next steps in the search for Jordan WABASSE. It is expected that an update will be issued on Friday February 18, 2011.
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Thunder Bay Newswatch video: Wabasse Latest
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February 18, 2011
P11016794
Jordan WABASSE Missing Person Investigation Update
The investigation into the disappearance of Jordan WABASSE continues. A search of a wooded area off of City Road east of James Street will be conducted today by the Anishinabek Police Service. Thunder Bay Police will search the river banks adjacent to the original dive site on the Kaministiquia River near James Street beginning tomorrow.
The Ontario Provincial Police will be assisting the Thunder Bay Police Service with the use of a helicopter. The OPP helicopter is expected to be in the air tomorrow afternoon. An aerial search will be conducted of the Kam River.
http://www.thunderbay.ca/Police/Media_Releases.htm
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Shifting focus
February 18, 2011
Police have temporarily shifted their focus in the search for missing teen Jordan Wabasse.
Acting on a tip, Anishnawbek Police Service officers and two volunteers from the Fort William First Nation community began a snowmobile search of wooded land behind the busy THP Gas Bar on City Road.
Det.-Insp. Phil Levesque of the Thunder Bay Police Service on Friday said police will also continue to scour the banks of the Kaministiquia River after a ball cap believed to be the missing 15-year-old’s was found in the river earlier in the week.
“We do have a group of volunteers in the community who are helping us out and helping Jordan’s family to look,” he said. “Through some discussion in their group they felt that it was worth looking there. They passed information along to us and we’re following up a search today.
Two Anishnawbek Police Service officers begin a ground search in the case of missing teen Jordan Wabasse. The search was to focus on a wooded area behind THP Gas Bar on City Road on Fort William First Nation.
Leith Dunick, tbnewswatch.com
“Anishnawbek (Police Service) officers agreed to help us out with that and they’ll be deploying in the area.”
APS Const. John Rivet said they planned to do a grid-style search of the area in question, which he said was several square kilometers in size.
Searchers will be looking for anything out of the ordinary, he added.
“The area we’ll be searching isn’t travelled very often, (so we’ll be looking for) footprints, articles of clothing, himself, obviously. There are paths, a couple of small lakes back there. It’s heavily wooded.”
Rivet said they were acting on information from city police that indicated “he may be back there.”
Levesque said while their focus remains on the Kam River – divers have been in the water most of the week searching for Wabasse – police are acting on other tips, just in case.
“Any information that comes in is followed up and we will make every effort in the area to take a look and see what we can find,” said Levesque. “This way it’s covered off and if there are any questions of what’s remaining to be done we know we put our best foot forward and had officers look.”
Wabasse, a Webequie First Nation resident who came to Thunder Bay for school and hockey, disappeared on Feb. 7.
The search began a couple of days later.
While police originally thought he might have run away, as time marches on that theory becomes less and less likely, Levesque said.
“We feel that we’ve moved away from that right now, given the evidence from earlier in the week,” said Levesque, adding footprints in the snow by the riverbank indicates he might have been somewhere in the area.
Though the likelihood of a happy ending is growing dimmer by the day, especially as temperatures dip as they did on Friday, police say they won’t give up hope just yet and intend to carry the search into next week. They will also be bringing in aerial support starting Saturday afternoon.
“We have to keep our options open. The searchers remain positive, although as time goes by and we don’t hear from Jordan we’re expecting that the end result could be tragic,” Levesque said. “But on the other hand, like I said, we’re going to keep our options open and we’ll just keep gathering information and see what happens.”
Anyone with any information is asked to call the Thunder Bay Police crime unit at 684-1214 or Crime Stoppers at 623-TIPS.
http://www.tbnewswatch.com/news/133099/Shifting-focus
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Search for teen turns up empty
snippped . . . . .
Nothing was found by 4 p.m. when the search concluded.
Provincial police will use a helicopter to search along the Kam River today, while Thunder Bay police officers scour the river banks near the James Street swing bridge.
“The idea is to look at every possibility where he may have travelled,” Thunder Bay Police spokesman Chris Adams said.
Police have asked residents who live in the Westfort area to check their sheds, garages and any other place where the boy might have gone for shelter.
Read more
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February 19, 2011
P11016794
Jordan WABASSE Missing Person Investigation Update
The investigation into the disappearance of Jordan WABASSE continues. A search of a wooded area off of City Road east of James Street was conducted Friday by the Anishinabek Police Service and volunteers. Results were negative. Thunder Bay Police have begun a search of the river banks adjacent to the original dive site on the Kaministiquia River near James Street.
The Ontario Provincial Police helicopter has been delayed in its flight from southern Ontario to Thunder Bay due to weather. The aircraft is now expected to be in the air Sunday afternoon. An aerial search will be conducted of the Kam River.
********** **********
February 20, 2011
P11016794
Jordan WABASSE Search Update
The ground search of the Kaministiquia River bank in the vicinity of the James Street Bridge has been conducted with negative results. The aerial search has been postponed until tomorrow (Monday) due to a delay in the arrival of the O.P.P. helicopter.
********** **********
Family and Friends and Community Coming together for Jordan Wabasse
February 21, 2011
THUNDER BAY – Maybe it is just the distance? Maybe it is because every news day is just another really busy day, but a new friend of mine, Cathy Elliott from Toronto is left wondering why none of the major media in Toronto have covered the story. The story is a missing Aboriginal teenager, Jordan Wabasse from Webiquie First Nation in Northwestern Ontario.
Jordan went missing 14 days ago, but so far, there is not so much as a mention of the story in the national media. It is almost as if there is a wall around Thunder Bay that doesn’t allow the story to get out. Either that, or … well who knows what reason there could be for the complete lack of coverage.
When a child goes missing in Toronto, the national media coverage is usually there sharing the information with everyone in Canada. The local coverage has grown. CBC Radio in Thunder Bay, the Chronicle Journal, TBTV, and TBNewswatch, and Lake Superior News in Thunder Bay have covered the story. There are posters all over Thunder Bay. People are volunteering to help.
No one is giving up hope. People are out in the streets searching for Jordan. There are people standing in the cold outside the search headquarters near the James Street Swing Bridge making sure people can find their way to the search headquarters. They are collecting donations for the search.
Today with the assistance of the O.P.P.’s Aviation Services, an aerial search of the Kaministiquia River and vicinity has been conducted with negative results. The search focused both up and downstream from the James Street Bridge.
The investigation continues. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Thunder Bay Police Service @ 807 684-1200.
NetNewsledger.com has been covering the story too. People from across Canada have been reading the story, and sharing the story with their friends and family. Yet outside Thunder Bay, as Day 14 since Jordan went missing, the story has not generated a mention. Not a single word. Nothing.
Maybe it is because stories of First Nations issues and missing Aboriginal people are just not considered interesting enough to garner the attention of reporters in the major centres of Canada? Maybe it is that the idea of covering another story of another missing youth just isn’t important enough.
Today is “Family Day” in Ontario. There is one family, the family of First Nations people across Northwestern Ontario who are not having an entirely happy Family Day, they are searching, hoping and praying that they will find Jordan.
READ MORE
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Poster's note: I have been wondering for some time now why no national media has reported on this case, especially considering that missing persons from other small towns are given national exposure.
I will be writing CBC, CTV and Global TV hoping for a positive outcome. Jordan Wabasse deserves the same media exposure as all other missing persons in the relentless effort to bring him home to his family. Here are the contact links if anyone else would like to write national media.
CBC Contact Link | CTV Contact Link | Global TV News Contact Link
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February 21, 2011
P11016794
Jordan WABASSE Aerial Search Update
Today with the assistance of the O.P.P.’s Aviation Services, an aerial search of the Kaministiquia River and vicinity has been conducted with negative results. The search focused both up and downstream from the James Street Bridge.
The investigation continues. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Thunder Bay Police Service @ 807 684-1200.
--------------------
No luck
snipped . . . . .
Answers to how long the search continues could come as soon as the middle of this week, Lewis said.
“We’re waiting for more information to come in and there will be more information from a news conference that I believe is scheduled for Wednesday,” he said. “We’re going to meet with the other police service agencies such as Anishnawbek Police Service and Nishnawbe Aski Police Service and the family and the volunteer group to come up with further strategies we can use.”
One of those who will be consulted is Webequie First Nation Chief Cornelius Wabasse, who is not related to the missing teen, but as worried as any family member would be about the disappearance. Chief Wabasse is not sure how long the search, which had about 50 people mobilized through a temporary command unit set up in a building just off the James Street Bridge on Fort William First Nation land, will continue.
“We haven’t made a decision on that yet, so we will continue our search. We are going to have to at some point discuss what we’re going to do if we don’t find the missing teen,” he said.
Chief Wabasse added searchers are trying to maintain a positive outlook, despite a lack of results. He added the volunteers, many of whom have been at it round the clock since the search began, are getting tired, but more are joining the effort each day, providing much-needed relief.
“The volunteers are being very positive and they are getting energized from the support we are getting from the city,” he said.
Like the police, they’re dealing with a number of incoming tips, rumours and information, doing their best to sort through it to find plausible leads to chase after.
READ MORE: http://www.tbnewswatch.com/news/133385/No-luck
********** **********
February 23, 2011
P11016794
Missing Person Jordan WABASSE Investigation Recap
Left to right: Chief Wabasse, Jodan's Parents: Derek and Bernice Jacob, Inspector Andy Hay TBPS & Sgt. Jackie George
N.A.P.S. Today's News Conference to Recap the investigation.
The investigation into the disappearance of Jordan WABASSE continues. Jordan was last seen on the evening of February 7, 2011 when he stepped off of a city transit bus on Mary Street near Holt Place.
After Jordan’s disappearance, an extensive search was conducted by the Thunder Bay Police Service Emergency Task Unit assisted by volunteers. A multi-branch Investigation has followed up on information, tips and conducted numerous interviews. Surveillance videos have been examined as part of the investigation. The local media has also assisted in the effort.
Volunteers from Jordan’s home of Webequie First Nation along with other First Nation communities have conducted a number of ground searches in an effort to locate the missing teen. Police agencies including the O.P.P., The Nishnawbe-Aski Police Service, The Anishinabek Police Service and the R.C.M.P. have assisted in the effort to locate Jordan WABASSE.
A ball cap and footprints were located just off shore on the Kaministiquia River just east of the James Street Bridge. The O.P.P.’s Underwater Search and Recovery Unit searched the water with negative results. An extensive ground and aerial search was conduced of the area also with negative results. Investigators are awaiting results from an examination of the ball cap to determine if it did belong to Jordan.
The Thunder Bay Police Service will continue to investigate information and any tips that come forward. The O.P.P. will be assisting in another water search once the ice on the Kaministiquia River has dissipated this spring.
Anyone with information regarding this investigation is asked to contact police or Crime Stoppers.
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Teen’s parents have faith
February 24, 2011
Bernice Jacob holds her two-year-old son Derren Jacob
while making an emotional appeal Wednesday
to her missing son Jordan Wabasse. (Brent Linton)
The parents of a missing 15-year-old Webequie First Nation boy believe their son is still in the Thunder Bay area.
Bernice and Derek Jacob pleaded Wednesday for their son Jordan Wabasse — who’s been the subject of aerial, underwater and ground searches on the Kaministiquia River since he was last seen more than two weeks ago — to contact them.
“Please, Jordan, let us know where you are,” Bernice Jacob said, her voice cracking. “We want to know if you’re OK.”
Bernice Jacob held her two-year-old son Derren in her lap as she spoke, while Nishnawbe Aski Nation Grand Chief Stan Beardy sat beside her in silence, his hands on her arm in a show of support as she addressed a crowd of police, volunteers and reporters during an emotional news conference at the CNRA recreation hall on S. James Street.
Bernice Jacob asked everyone to “keep their eyes open” for Wabasse.
The CNRA building, its walls decorated with hand-made posters bearing images of a smiling Wabasse and messages as “Help find Jordan,” has served as headquarters for the search, which is concentrated on and around the frozen Kam River nearby.
READ MORE
********** ***********
VIDEO: Wabasse news conference
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Day 17 – Search for Jordan Wabasse Continues
February 25, 2011
THUNDER BAY – It has now been 17 days since Jordan Wabasse went missing. The Thunder Bay Police Service, Ontario Provincial Police, Nishawbe Aski Police, and volunteers, friends and family have been looking for this missing 15 year old teenager. The path forward will be tough. As each day passes, the trail is just a little colder. However no one is giving up!
Jordan Wabasse at Intercity Mall on Feb. 7 Jordan was last seen wearing a
dark grey jacket, purple hoodie, blue-grey Toronto Maple Leafs ball cap on backwards,
black pants and white Adidas running shoes
Bernice Jacob, Jordan’s Mom posted on her Facebook profile, a message she received, “Today is Day 17 our Oji-Cree warrior Atik Awasish 15 year old from Webequie First Nation is still missing in Thunder Bay ON. Spirits spoke yesterday, spirits never lie where you are and we know what happened….we will find you brother, Atik Awasish”.
It is a message that friends and family feel is important. Somewhere in Thunder Bay, or elsewhere, someone knows more than they are willing to share.
READ MORE
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Editorial: Sad search for missing teen
February 28, 2011
It’s been nearly four weeks since 15-year-old Jordan Wabasse went missing.
The Webequie First Nation teen, in Thunder?Bay for school and to play hockey, was last seen getting off a bus in the Mary Street area.
Since then, the only clues as to what might have happened to the youngster are a Toronto Maple Leafs hat found in the Kaministiquia River and some footprints leading to the shoreline.
Sadly, the odds are not in Jordan’s favour.
With temperatures plummeting last week, even police are suggesting this situation will likely end in tragedy.
Luckily for Jordan there are still plenty of people, including police, who are holding out hope.
The ground search is expected to continue, and until all leads have been exhausted, it should.
Until it happens to you, no one truly understands what Bernice Jacobs, his mother, and the rest of his family and Webequie community is going through.
Jordan is a son, a brother, a family member and a trusted friend. We, as a society, owe it to him to leave no stone unturned searching for him.
It’s what we’d expect if it were someone we loved.
It’s the definition of humanity.
Our thoughts and prayers go out to Bernice Jacob and her family. Never have they needed them more.
http://www.tbnewswatch.com/opinion/134534/Editorial-Sad-search-for-missing-teen
********** **********
Sachigo Lake First Nation Ladies Hold Walk-a-Thon for Jordan Wabasse
March 3, 2011
...THUNDER BAY – A sure sign that no one is giving up, this week, despite the cold weather, Sachigo Lake First Nation ladies Myra Beardy and Charlene Brown did a fifty kilometre walk-a-thon to raise money, and awareness for Jordan Wabasse. It is now Day 25 since the Webequie First Nation teenager went missing in Thunder Bay. The walkathon saw $5697.00 raised for the Wabasse family in Thunder Bay.
Jordan Wabasse was last seen getting off a Thunder Bay Transit bus on February 7th.
“Well, I am up and just about ready to face what today will bring me. All in all, I am not worried about myself, because today is not about ME but for the family of Jordan Wabasse.
Read more
********** **********
. . . . . .Search for missing teen continues month after disappearance
March 7, 2011
It has been one month since 15-year-old Jordan Wabasse went missing, and there's still no word on the whereabouts of the Webequie First Nation teenager.
Volunteers continue to search, even though police have scaled back their efforts until the ice on the Kaministiquia River melts.
Jordan was last seen getting off a city bus in Westfort at around 10 p.m. on Feb. 7.
After an extensive search by police and volunteers along the banks of the Kam River, a baseball cap was the only item found. The cap is being tested for DNA. It will be another two weeks to see if it matches that of Jordan.
Search co-ordinator, Lillian Suganaqueb said volunteers are still helping out, and they continue to be in good spirits.
She said crews have been searching every day since Jordan went missing.
Read more
********** **********
Shoe found near river, may have belonged to missing teen
March 23, 2011
Volunteers searching for a missing 15-year-old boy have found a shoe on the north shore of the Kaministiquia River.
The running shoe was discovered in a snow bank on Monday, March 21 on the shore of the river by the James Street swing bridge. Volunteers were in the area looking for signs of Jordan Wabasse, who was last seen on Feb. 7.
Officials with the Thunder Bay Police Service said the shoe was found by the ship pier, which is close to where a baseball cap was found about a month ago.
Investigators with the city police force say they believe there is a high probability that the shoe belonged to the missing teen. The baseball cap found earlier matched that of the cap Jordan is described to have been wearing before his disappearance.
Wabasse was last seen leaving a city bus near Holt Place around 10 p.m. Feb. 7.
City police, the OPP and volunteers began searching the Mary Street and Holt Place area earlier in February. The search moved to the partially frozen Kaministiquia River following a tip to police, which eventually led to a three-day underwater search by an OPP dive team.
Thunder Bay Police officials recently told media that there is a chance that another underwater search could begin soon now that the Kam River is beginning to open up.
Anyone with information about the disappearance of Jordan Wabasse is asked to contact police or Crime Stoppers.
http://www.tbnewswatch.com/news/138102/Shoe-found-near-river,-may-have-belonged-to-missing-teen
********** ***********
Seeking Positive Solutions for the North[/b]
March 28, 2011
THUNDER BAY – CBC’s award winning The Fifth Estate will be in Thunder Bay this week. The program will be covering the ongoing search for Jordan Wabasse, the 16 year old Webequie First Nation youth who has been missing in Thunder Bay since February 7th.
The search for the missing youth has brought together First Nation Communities from across Northwestern Ontario.
There have been a number of teens go missing in the city. Often, coverage of the news of those missing young people doesn’t make it outside of our region.
In the case of Jordan Wabasse, there has been coverage on the APTN, and a report in the Guelph Mercury of a pray vigil to support finding Jordan. Other than that, the news outside of Thunder Bay has been somewhat sparse.
The searchers and communities across the North have kept up their search with hundreds of people having participated. Thousands of dollars have been donated by many people in the ongoing efforts to find Jordan Wabasse. Many in Thunder Bay have stepped up to help.
No one knows what has happened to Jordan Wabasse. There are many rumours, but as stated frequently on the Facebook page dedicated to finding Jordan, rely on facts, not rumours.
Jordan’s grandmother, writes, “The search for my grandson continues again tomorrow…please, someone tell of his whereabouts…just wanna know,just wanna know, just wanna know…….please”. Across the North, the searchers can echo those thoughts.
With The Fifth Estate coming to Thunder Bay to report on the story, it allows word of what is happening in Thunder Bay to reach across Canada. One can hope it will help to make a positive difference.
There are several large issues here as well.
READ MORE
********** ************
Thunder Bay Police - Media Release
March 30, 2011
P11016794
Missing Person Jordan WABASSE Water Search
The Underwater Search and Recovery Unit of the Ontario Provincial Police will be conducting a search of the Kaministiquia River just east of the James Street Bridge on Thursday March 31, 2011.
This is planned to be an extended underwater search in support of the investigation into the disappearance of Jordan WABASSE. The U.S.R.U. had conducted a limited search back in February 2011 in the immediate vicinity of where a hat, believed to have belonged to Jordan had been found. That search was negative.
Jordan WABASSE was last seen on the evening of February 7, 2011.
http://www.thunderbay.ca/Police/Media_Releases.htm
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[b]Underwater team returns to search for missing teen
March 30, 2011
Police will conduct another underwater search in an effort to find a teen who has been missing since early February.
Officials with the OPP confirmed Wednesday that the underwater search and recovery unit will begin searching the Kaministiquia River, just east of the James Street Bridge, on Thursday.
Jordan Wabasse, 15, has been missing since Feb. 7.
"The idea of the search is a follow-up to the initial one that was conducted back in February," said Thunder Bay Police Service's spokesman Chris Adams. "This search will be a little more extensive. It will cover more water now that the ice is out of the river and the water conditions, hopefully, tomorrow will be stable."
Adams said searchers plan to use technology in Thursday's search, which could last a couple of days.
"They have a couple of different sonar devices they can use, and in this case they're also going to be using a boat to allow them to cover a little bit more ground. The idea is that they can cover more water, they can take a look at the bottom of the river and cover much more distance than they did earlier."
At the time of the first search, the underwater team was able to conduct a limited search, which led to the retrieval of a baseball cap that likely belonged to Jordan.
That underwater search lasted three days.
Since then, volunteer search teams discovered a shoe in the same area that may have also belonged to Jordan.
http://tbnewswatch.com/news/139055/Underwater-team-returns-to-search-for-missing-teen
********** **********
April 01, 2011
----------
Second search ends
Police conducted one last underwater search for missing 15-year-old Jordan Wabasse Friday.
As of Friday afternoon, the OPP underwater search and rescue team hadn’t turned up any new evidence in the search for the missing teen, who was last seen Feb. 7.
The two-day effort is the second underwater search on the Kaministiquia River for Jordan.
Thunder Bay Police Service Det. Don Lewis said If nothing new was found by the end of the day, the next phase of the search will come when the snow and ice is gone.
Det. Don Lewis said OPP dive team hadn't recovered
any new evidence in search for Jordan Wabasse as of Friday afternoon.
“We’ll plan for another foot search of the river banks,” he said, adding the dive team may return again once the snow is gone.
“The challenge with waiting until the summertime is you have – along the river banks – the foliage that will grow and make it difficult to see those spots,” he said.
“That’s why for the next three to four weeks, we want to get onto that as soon as the snow and ice disappears.”
Police are also considering bringing the OPP helicopter back for another aerial search now that the ice is almost gone from the river.
http://www.tbnewswatch.com/news/139641/Second-search-ends
Last edited by karma on Thu May 12, 2011 2:11 am; edited 36 times in total
karma- Supreme Commander of the Universe With Cape AND Tights AND Fancy Headgear
CANADA • Jordan WABASSE, 15 ~ Thunder Bay ON
by karma Mon Mar 28, 2011 11:55 pm
Missing teen - Jordan Wabasse, 15 ~ Thunder Bay ON
Jordan Wabasse, 15, missing since February 7, 2011
Seeking Positive Solutions for the North
March 28, 2011
THUNDER BAY – CBC’s award winning The Fifth Estate will be in Thunder Bay this week. The program will be covering the ongoing search for Jordan Wabasse, the 16 year old Webequie First Nation youth who has been missing in Thunder Bay since February 7th.
The search for the missing youth has brought together First Nation Communities from across Northwestern Ontario.
There have been a number of teens go missing in the city. Often, coverage of the news of those missing young people doesn’t make it outside of our region.
In the case of Jordan Wabasse, there has been coverage on the APTN, and a report in the Guelph Mercury of a pray vigil to support finding Jordan. Other than that, the news outside of Thunder Bay has been somewhat sparse.
The searchers and communities across the North have kept up their search with hundreds of people having participated. Thousands of dollars have been donated by many people in the ongoing efforts to find Jordan Wabasse. Many in Thunder Bay have stepped up to help.
No one knows what has happened to Jordan Wabasse. There are many rumours, but as stated frequently on the Facebook page dedicated to finding Jordan, rely on facts, not rumours.
Jordan’s grandmother, writes, “The search for my grandson continues again tomorrow…please, someone tell of his whereabouts…just wanna know,just wanna know, just wanna know…….please”. Across the North, the searchers can echo those thoughts.
With The Fifth Estate coming to Thunder Bay to report on the story, it allows word of what is happening in Thunder Bay to reach across Canada. One can hope it will help to make a positive difference.
There are several large issues here as well.
READ MORE
Jordan Wabasse, 15, missing since February 7, 2011
Seeking Positive Solutions for the North
March 28, 2011
THUNDER BAY – CBC’s award winning The Fifth Estate will be in Thunder Bay this week. The program will be covering the ongoing search for Jordan Wabasse, the 16 year old Webequie First Nation youth who has been missing in Thunder Bay since February 7th.
The search for the missing youth has brought together First Nation Communities from across Northwestern Ontario.
There have been a number of teens go missing in the city. Often, coverage of the news of those missing young people doesn’t make it outside of our region.
In the case of Jordan Wabasse, there has been coverage on the APTN, and a report in the Guelph Mercury of a pray vigil to support finding Jordan. Other than that, the news outside of Thunder Bay has been somewhat sparse.
The searchers and communities across the North have kept up their search with hundreds of people having participated. Thousands of dollars have been donated by many people in the ongoing efforts to find Jordan Wabasse. Many in Thunder Bay have stepped up to help.
No one knows what has happened to Jordan Wabasse. There are many rumours, but as stated frequently on the Facebook page dedicated to finding Jordan, rely on facts, not rumours.
Jordan’s grandmother, writes, “The search for my grandson continues again tomorrow…please, someone tell of his whereabouts…just wanna know,just wanna know, just wanna know…….please”. Across the North, the searchers can echo those thoughts.
With The Fifth Estate coming to Thunder Bay to report on the story, it allows word of what is happening in Thunder Bay to reach across Canada. One can hope it will help to make a positive difference.
There are several large issues here as well.
READ MORE
karma- Supreme Commander of the Universe With Cape AND Tights AND Fancy Headgear
Re: CANADA • Jordan WABASSE, 15 (deceased) ~ Thunder Bay ON
by karma Wed Apr 27, 2011 11:40 pm
Emergency Search
April 26, 2011
Firefighters conduct a search along the banks of the Kaministiquia River
on Tuesday after a 911 caller reported seeing a body floating in the river.
A report of a body floating in the Kaministiquia River on Tuesday afternoon had emergency personnel on the water conducting a thorough search.
District Chief Dave Grant of Thunder Bay Fire Service said an anonymous 911 call tipped them off, and in the wake of the search for missing 15-year-old Jordan Wabasse, they reacted immediately.
“Police and fire have responded to the area,” Grant said. “We initially got a call that the sighting was east of the (James Street) swing bridge, but with the strong current and wind we’re checking both sides.”
Firefighters, who got the call at about 1:45 p.m., began their marine search in a zodiac boat at the Mountdale Road boat launch, and Grant said they planned to scour both banks of the river as well as make a pass down the middle.
Grant said while they take all calls seriously, because of the Wabasse situation they’re taking extra precautions.
“We’re not going to leave this scene just quickly. We’re going to make a thorough search before our units are dispatched. After our zodiac rescue boat makes three passes, we’ll call it quits for today,” Grant said.
Read more
Watch video latest search
April 26, 2011
Firefighters conduct a search along the banks of the Kaministiquia River
on Tuesday after a 911 caller reported seeing a body floating in the river.
A report of a body floating in the Kaministiquia River on Tuesday afternoon had emergency personnel on the water conducting a thorough search.
District Chief Dave Grant of Thunder Bay Fire Service said an anonymous 911 call tipped them off, and in the wake of the search for missing 15-year-old Jordan Wabasse, they reacted immediately.
“Police and fire have responded to the area,” Grant said. “We initially got a call that the sighting was east of the (James Street) swing bridge, but with the strong current and wind we’re checking both sides.”
Firefighters, who got the call at about 1:45 p.m., began their marine search in a zodiac boat at the Mountdale Road boat launch, and Grant said they planned to scour both banks of the river as well as make a pass down the middle.
Grant said while they take all calls seriously, because of the Wabasse situation they’re taking extra precautions.
“We’re not going to leave this scene just quickly. We’re going to make a thorough search before our units are dispatched. After our zodiac rescue boat makes three passes, we’ll call it quits for today,” Grant said.
Read more
Watch video latest searchLast edited by karma on Thu Apr 28, 2011 1:00 am; edited 1 time in total
karma- Supreme Commander of the Universe With Cape AND Tights AND Fancy Headgear
Re: CANADA • Jordan WABASSE, 15 (deceased) ~ Thunder Bay ON
by karma Wed Apr 27, 2011 11:43 pm
Cap belonged to missing teen, DNA test confirms
April 27, 2011
The hat that was recovered just off shore of the Kaministiquia River just east of the James Street Bridge in February 2011 has been identified as belonging to Jordan WABASSE. The hat had been sent to the Northern Regional Forensic Lab for analysis. A DNA match has been made.
The water in the area of where the hat was discovered was the subject of two extensive searches by the O.P.P.’s Underwater Search and Recovery Unit. The results of these underwater searches were negative.
The Thunder Bay Police Service will be conducting a ground search of the shoreline now that the remaining ice and snow has melted away. That search is expected to take place next week. Once established, a tentative date will be announced.
15 year old Jordan WABASSE was last seen on the night of February 7, 2011.
April 27, 2011
The hat that was recovered just off shore of the Kaministiquia River just east of the James Street Bridge in February 2011 has been identified as belonging to Jordan WABASSE. The hat had been sent to the Northern Regional Forensic Lab for analysis. A DNA match has been made.
The water in the area of where the hat was discovered was the subject of two extensive searches by the O.P.P.’s Underwater Search and Recovery Unit. The results of these underwater searches were negative.
The Thunder Bay Police Service will be conducting a ground search of the shoreline now that the remaining ice and snow has melted away. That search is expected to take place next week. Once established, a tentative date will be announced.
15 year old Jordan WABASSE was last seen on the night of February 7, 2011.
karma- Supreme Commander of the Universe With Cape AND Tights AND Fancy Headgear
Re: CANADA • Jordan WABASSE, 15 (deceased) ~ Thunder Bay ON
by karma Sat Apr 30, 2011 1:48 am
April 29, 2011 - Jordan WABASSE Search Update
A ground search of the Kaministiquia River bank in the vicinity of the James Street Bridge is planned for Wednesday May 4, 2011.
Thunder Bay Police Service officers will be on scene commencing at 9:00 a.m. that day.
A ground search of the Kaministiquia River bank in the vicinity of the James Street Bridge is planned for Wednesday May 4, 2011.
Thunder Bay Police Service officers will be on scene commencing at 9:00 a.m. that day.
karma- Supreme Commander of the Universe With Cape AND Tights AND Fancy Headgear
Re: CANADA • Jordan WABASSE, 15 (deceased) ~ Thunder Bay ON
by karma Thu May 05, 2011 12:15 am
Search Resumes
May 4, 2011
Jeff Labine, tbnewswatch.com
An RCMP boat searches the Kaministiquia River for 15-year-old Jordan Wabasse May 4, 2011.
Police resumed their search along the Kaministiquia River for missing teen Jordan Wabasse Wednesday.
A dozen officers from Thunder Bay Police Service and a unit from the RCMP headed back onto the waterway near the James Street swing bridge to search for the missing 15-year-old, who vanished in February.
Cold weather conditions stopped an earlier search for the teen, but as the ice melted police headed back onto the water. Officers spread out their search to cover the areas they believed Jordan may have been.
Police confirmed in April that the hat found near the Kam River during an earlier search belonged to Jordan.
Insp. Andy Hay said they will spend the entire day looking for Jordan. Police will search along the shoreline as well as in the water for any clues.
"Some of the terrain here is very difficult to walk and search so it will be done visually from the boats while we do a ground search," Hay said.
"The conditions are very good for the search, whether we find something or not is a question that still remains to be answered. What we want to make sure is that the banks are clear and that we don’t have any evidence on the banks that we may have missed with the snow."
Jordan’s Grandmother, Beulah Wabasse watched as the officers continued their search.
She posted a message on her grandson’s Facebook page stating that while she may look strong, she feels as if she is dying slowly on the inside.
She told tbnewswatch.com Wednesday that Jordan’s family had returned home to Webequie First Nation but would return to the city sometime soon.
http://www.tbnewswatch.com/news/144789/Search-resumes
May 4, 2011
Jeff Labine, tbnewswatch.com
An RCMP boat searches the Kaministiquia River for 15-year-old Jordan Wabasse May 4, 2011.
Police resumed their search along the Kaministiquia River for missing teen Jordan Wabasse Wednesday.
A dozen officers from Thunder Bay Police Service and a unit from the RCMP headed back onto the waterway near the James Street swing bridge to search for the missing 15-year-old, who vanished in February.
Cold weather conditions stopped an earlier search for the teen, but as the ice melted police headed back onto the water. Officers spread out their search to cover the areas they believed Jordan may have been.
Police confirmed in April that the hat found near the Kam River during an earlier search belonged to Jordan.
Insp. Andy Hay said they will spend the entire day looking for Jordan. Police will search along the shoreline as well as in the water for any clues.
"Some of the terrain here is very difficult to walk and search so it will be done visually from the boats while we do a ground search," Hay said.
"The conditions are very good for the search, whether we find something or not is a question that still remains to be answered. What we want to make sure is that the banks are clear and that we don’t have any evidence on the banks that we may have missed with the snow."
Jordan’s Grandmother, Beulah Wabasse watched as the officers continued their search.
She posted a message on her grandson’s Facebook page stating that while she may look strong, she feels as if she is dying slowly on the inside.
She told tbnewswatch.com Wednesday that Jordan’s family had returned home to Webequie First Nation but would return to the city sometime soon.
http://www.tbnewswatch.com/news/144789/Search-resumes
karma- Supreme Commander of the Universe With Cape AND Tights AND Fancy Headgear
Re: CANADA • Jordan WABASSE, 15 (deceased) ~ Thunder Bay ON
by karma Thu May 05, 2011 12:17 am
May 4, 2011
P11016794
Jordan WABASSE Search Update
An extensive search of the Kaministiquia River banks in the vicinity of the James Street Bridge was conducted today. Officers from the Thunder Bay Police Service Emergency Task Unit along with the K-9 unit searched the area with assistance provided by the R.C.M.P. The R.C.M.P. provided two boats to assist with the shoreline search.
The result of today’s search was negative.
http://www.thunderbay.ca/Police/Media_Releases.htm
P11016794
Jordan WABASSE Search Update
An extensive search of the Kaministiquia River banks in the vicinity of the James Street Bridge was conducted today. Officers from the Thunder Bay Police Service Emergency Task Unit along with the K-9 unit searched the area with assistance provided by the R.C.M.P. The R.C.M.P. provided two boats to assist with the shoreline search.
The result of today’s search was negative.
http://www.thunderbay.ca/Police/Media_Releases.htm
karma- Supreme Commander of the Universe With Cape AND Tights AND Fancy Headgear
Re: CANADA • Jordan WABASSE, 15 (deceased) ~ Thunder Bay ON
by karma Thu May 12, 2011 12:34 am
May 10, 2011
A body has been recovered from the Kaministiquia River just east of the James Street Bridge. Recreational boaters made the discovery of what they believed was a body floating in the river near the Western Grain Elevators at approximately 7:00 p.m. tonight. Police and Thunder Bay Fire and Rescue were called to the scene.
A body of a male has been removed from the river. A postmortem examination is pending. Once a positive identification is made, next of kin will be notified.
**********
Family, friends of missing teen still waiting for post-mortem update
May 11, 2011
Results of a post-mortem examination have yet to identify a male body found in the Kaministiquia River Tuesday evening.
The exam began around 2 p.m. Wednesday in Thunder Bay. Police spokesman Chris Adams said he hopes to hear the results, which include positive identification and possibly a probable cause of death, by Thursday night or Friday morning.
Adams confirmed that the case of 15-year-old Jordan Wabasse, missing since Feb.7, is the only known missing persons case in the area near the Western Grain Elevators off Kingston Street, which was where boaters found the body Wednesday evening.
Adams cautioned that those facts do not make for a positive identification, and that only the examination can do that.
Read more
A body has been recovered from the Kaministiquia River just east of the James Street Bridge. Recreational boaters made the discovery of what they believed was a body floating in the river near the Western Grain Elevators at approximately 7:00 p.m. tonight. Police and Thunder Bay Fire and Rescue were called to the scene.
A body of a male has been removed from the river. A postmortem examination is pending. Once a positive identification is made, next of kin will be notified.
**********
Family, friends of missing teen still waiting for post-mortem update
May 11, 2011
Results of a post-mortem examination have yet to identify a male body found in the Kaministiquia River Tuesday evening.
The exam began around 2 p.m. Wednesday in Thunder Bay. Police spokesman Chris Adams said he hopes to hear the results, which include positive identification and possibly a probable cause of death, by Thursday night or Friday morning.
Adams confirmed that the case of 15-year-old Jordan Wabasse, missing since Feb.7, is the only known missing persons case in the area near the Western Grain Elevators off Kingston Street, which was where boaters found the body Wednesday evening.
Adams cautioned that those facts do not make for a positive identification, and that only the examination can do that.
Read more
karma- Supreme Commander of the Universe With Cape AND Tights AND Fancy Headgear
Re: CANADA • Jordan WABASSE, 15 (deceased) ~ Thunder Bay ON
by karma Thu May 12, 2011 1:59 am
Police confirm Wabasse death
May 11, 2011
City police are now confirming the body found in the Kam River on Tuesday is that of missing teen Jordan Wabasse.
They say that the cause of death was drowning and no foul play is suspected in his death.
May 11, 2011
City police are now confirming the body found in the Kam River on Tuesday is that of missing teen Jordan Wabasse.
They say that the cause of death was drowning and no foul play is suspected in his death.
karma- Supreme Commander of the Universe With Cape AND Tights AND Fancy Headgear
Re: CANADA • Jordan WABASSE, 15 (deceased) ~ Thunder Bay ON
by karma Thu May 12, 2011 2:09 am
Media Releases
May 11, 2011
P11016794
Jordan WABASSE
The deceased male whose body was discovered in the Kaministiquia River has been identified as 15 year old Jordan WABASSE. The identification was made following a post mortem examination conducted here in Thunder Bay this afternoon.
The preliminary results indicate the cause of death as drowning. Foul play is not suspected in Jordan’s death.
Jordan WABASSE had been missing since February 7, 2011.
**********
Three men fishing in the Kam River at around 7 p.m. on Tuesday found the body floating near their boat.
Firefighters used a boat to travel to the middle of the Kam where the anglers were waiting to show them where the body was located.
Firefighters retrieved the body using a sled-like apparatus and kept it by shore while they waited for the coroner to arrive.
The body was found near the Western Grain elevator — not far from a building that was used as a search headquarters by Jordan Wabasse’s family and others looking for the missing teen.
Volunteers had been searching for 15-year-old Jordan Wabasse in that area since he went missing on Feb. 7.
May 11, 2011
P11016794
Jordan WABASSE
The deceased male whose body was discovered in the Kaministiquia River has been identified as 15 year old Jordan WABASSE. The identification was made following a post mortem examination conducted here in Thunder Bay this afternoon.
The preliminary results indicate the cause of death as drowning. Foul play is not suspected in Jordan’s death.
Jordan WABASSE had been missing since February 7, 2011.
**********
Three men fishing in the Kam River at around 7 p.m. on Tuesday found the body floating near their boat.
Firefighters used a boat to travel to the middle of the Kam where the anglers were waiting to show them where the body was located.
Firefighters retrieved the body using a sled-like apparatus and kept it by shore while they waited for the coroner to arrive.
The body was found near the Western Grain elevator — not far from a building that was used as a search headquarters by Jordan Wabasse’s family and others looking for the missing teen.
Volunteers had been searching for 15-year-old Jordan Wabasse in that area since he went missing on Feb. 7.
karma- Supreme Commander of the Universe With Cape AND Tights AND Fancy Headgear
Re: CANADA • Jordan WABASSE, 15 (deceased) ~ Thunder Bay ON
by karma Fri May 13, 2011 11:29 pm
Cries for inquiry into native teens’ deaths grow louder
May 13, 2011
Jordan Wabasse's mother Bernice Jacob (far right) holds her young son as she
looks to the exact spot where Jordan was found drowned on May 10, 2011.
The family of student Jordan Wabasse said goodbye to their son in a memorial by the Kaministiquia River Friday as the cry for a public inquiry into the deaths of seven aboriginal students grew louder.
After missing 92 days, Webequie First Nation youth Jordan Wabasse’s body was found in the river Tuesday.
Wabasse, 15, was one of seven teens in the last 10 years, to perish while in Thunder Bay to pursue an education because there is no school for them on their home reserves.
Six teens, all boys, were eventually found dead in the waterways leading to Lake Superior. The only girl, Robyn Harper, was asphyxiated in an allegedly alcohol related death. She was not found in water.
Thunder Bay Mayor Keith Hobbs called for an immediate public inquiry to delve into the tragedy.
“Seven dead is ridiculous,” Hobbs said. “It is bizarre to have that many kids gone.”
The situation in the north is not unlike the disappearance of nearly 500 aboriginal women out west and the Robert Pickton murders, said Hobbs, who is a former police officer.
Pickton, a pig farmer, was convicted of killing six women but has admitted to killing many more.
Wabasse was a good kid, a talented hockey player, Hobbs said. “He had a reason to live.”
Wabasse’s parents and nearly 200 community members from Webequie, a fly-in-only reserve 600 kilometres north of Thunder Bay, attended the memorial.
Ojibway prayers were said, native drummers sang and the howls of Wabasse’s relatives hung in the chilly air.
Thunder Bay Police Services say Wabasse drowned and foul play is not suspected.
But Derek Jacob, Wabasse’s father, and aboriginal leaders feel that conclusion has been drawn too quickly and a larger investigation is needed.
Wabasse got off a transit bus at 10:30 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 7, a block away from his boarding home. It was -30 C that evening and Wabasse just vanished.
“That would be a long walk on a cold day,” Hobbs said. “As a former investigator I’d be looking at the possibility of somebody picking him up.”
Thunder Bay Police Services say they spoke to everyone on the bus that evening and what happened to Wabasse when he got off may remain a mystery.
The fact remains these seven children died just because they wanted to go to school, New Democratic Party MPP Howard Hampton told the Toronto Star Friday.
“It is pretty clear the provincial government has almost closed its eyes on these issues,” Hampton said.
An inquiry was called into the death of native protester Dudley George, who died in September 1995 after being shot by an Ontario Provincial Police officer, Hampton said.
“Here we have the disappearance and deaths of seven children over 10 years. This situation cries out for a broader inquiry,” he said. “These are just kids.”
An inquest into the deaths of some of the teens should have started three years ago but it is held up by legal arguments.
Missing or dead aboriginal people is a national phenomena, said Assembly or First Nations National Chief Shawn Atleo.
“It is particularly acute now in Northern Ontario,” he said. “There is absolutely something really wrong when these tragedies continue to happen.”
Thunder Bay police said the post mortem on Wabasse showed no signs of foul play or evidence to suggest he was suicidal.
A funeral for Wabasse will be held in Thunder Bay Saturday. His family will then fly back to Webequie with his body.
http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/991343--seven-dead-is-ridiculous
May 13, 2011
Jordan Wabasse's mother Bernice Jacob (far right) holds her young son as she
looks to the exact spot where Jordan was found drowned on May 10, 2011.
The family of student Jordan Wabasse said goodbye to their son in a memorial by the Kaministiquia River Friday as the cry for a public inquiry into the deaths of seven aboriginal students grew louder.
After missing 92 days, Webequie First Nation youth Jordan Wabasse’s body was found in the river Tuesday.
Wabasse, 15, was one of seven teens in the last 10 years, to perish while in Thunder Bay to pursue an education because there is no school for them on their home reserves.
Six teens, all boys, were eventually found dead in the waterways leading to Lake Superior. The only girl, Robyn Harper, was asphyxiated in an allegedly alcohol related death. She was not found in water.
Thunder Bay Mayor Keith Hobbs called for an immediate public inquiry to delve into the tragedy.
“Seven dead is ridiculous,” Hobbs said. “It is bizarre to have that many kids gone.”
The situation in the north is not unlike the disappearance of nearly 500 aboriginal women out west and the Robert Pickton murders, said Hobbs, who is a former police officer.
Pickton, a pig farmer, was convicted of killing six women but has admitted to killing many more.
Wabasse was a good kid, a talented hockey player, Hobbs said. “He had a reason to live.”
Wabasse’s parents and nearly 200 community members from Webequie, a fly-in-only reserve 600 kilometres north of Thunder Bay, attended the memorial.
Ojibway prayers were said, native drummers sang and the howls of Wabasse’s relatives hung in the chilly air.
Thunder Bay Police Services say Wabasse drowned and foul play is not suspected.
But Derek Jacob, Wabasse’s father, and aboriginal leaders feel that conclusion has been drawn too quickly and a larger investigation is needed.
Wabasse got off a transit bus at 10:30 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 7, a block away from his boarding home. It was -30 C that evening and Wabasse just vanished.
“That would be a long walk on a cold day,” Hobbs said. “As a former investigator I’d be looking at the possibility of somebody picking him up.”
Thunder Bay Police Services say they spoke to everyone on the bus that evening and what happened to Wabasse when he got off may remain a mystery.
The fact remains these seven children died just because they wanted to go to school, New Democratic Party MPP Howard Hampton told the Toronto Star Friday.
“It is pretty clear the provincial government has almost closed its eyes on these issues,” Hampton said.
An inquiry was called into the death of native protester Dudley George, who died in September 1995 after being shot by an Ontario Provincial Police officer, Hampton said.
“Here we have the disappearance and deaths of seven children over 10 years. This situation cries out for a broader inquiry,” he said. “These are just kids.”
An inquest into the deaths of some of the teens should have started three years ago but it is held up by legal arguments.
Missing or dead aboriginal people is a national phenomena, said Assembly or First Nations National Chief Shawn Atleo.
“It is particularly acute now in Northern Ontario,” he said. “There is absolutely something really wrong when these tragedies continue to happen.”
Thunder Bay police said the post mortem on Wabasse showed no signs of foul play or evidence to suggest he was suicidal.
A funeral for Wabasse will be held in Thunder Bay Saturday. His family will then fly back to Webequie with his body.
http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/991343--seven-dead-is-ridiculous
karma- Supreme Commander of the Universe With Cape AND Tights AND Fancy Headgear
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